HERE ARE SOME:
1. MILKY WATER
You are working as an analyst in a milk processing factory. There have been reports that milk has been leaking into the water supply. Milk makes water cloudy. You have been given the task of finding out how much milk is in the water. How does the amount of milk in water affect the transmission of light through the water?
2. SPAGETTHI FACTORY / BRIDGING THE GAP
The global financial crisis has caused a spaghetti manufacturer to investigate using spaghetti to build structures like bridges. You are the structural engineer in charge at Fasta Pasta Constructions. How does the thickness of spaghetti affect the maximum load it can support? or, How does the span length of a spaghetti rod affect its load bearing capacity?
3. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
A theatre lighting company wants to use a simple method to dim the lights in theatres, cinemas and entertainment venues. As lighting technician, you know that two lenses of Polaroid sunglasses dim the light passing through them when one lens is rotated. How does the angle of rotation between the lenses affect the intensity of light passing through them? Can you determine the angle at which the intensity can be dimmed to half when it passes through the second lens?
4. WIND CHILL FACTOR
You are a climate change scientist with the Australian Antarctic Division. You know that some liquids make the skin feel cold when dropped on the skin. You are interested in finding out if moving air can cause lower temperatures. How does the speed of moving air affect the temperature produced by evaporation of a volatile liquid?
5. SQUASH BALL
The Flubber Rubber Company is developing a new type of Squash ball. You are a technical advisor to the World Squash Federation. How does the temperature of a squash ball affect its bounce?
6. SLICK OIL
Every motor mechanic knows that ‘oils aint oils’. In an effort to dominate the market with its products, the SupaMultigrade Oil Company wants to develop engine oil that lubricates better at higher temperatures. As chief chemist in the research division, you first need to know: How does the temperature of oil affect its viscosity?
7. STRING TENSION
Instruments with strings make various sounds, from the booming pulse of a double bass to the trebly twang of a Telecaster. The Bender Guitar Company has a new concept 11-string guitar (because 10 aren’t enough). As an instrument maker you need to know: How does the tension of a string affect its pitch (the frequency of the sound wave it produces when it vibrates)? or, How does the length of a vibrating string affect its pitch?
* NOTE: For this topic you may need to provide your own ‘stringed instrument’ and electronic tuner which can measure the frequency of a sound or musical note. An alternative is to use the program Audacity, which is available on your laptops.
8. Mag force.
Imagine a car which didn’t touch the road or a train which levitated above the track? Think of the energy saving without friction! (The MagLev train is real). To make transport more efficient, could we use magnetic force? You are part of a design team engineering new vehicles. How does distance from a magnet affect the size of the magnetic force?
9. NEUTRALISATION Energy
The year is 2040 and the world’s petroleum reserves are almost depleted. Global warming and acid rain from burning fossil fuels have caused the world’s lakes to become acidic. You are an industrial chemist researching new sources of energy, and you remember that when an acid reacts with a base, heat is produced, but how much? How does the concentration of an acid affect the amount of heat produced (temperature increase) when it reacts with a base?
10. Houston, we have lift off!
Only three countries (US, Russia and China) have had successful human space flights. India is the next nation which is planning human spaceflight missions scheduled for 2015. As an Australian aerospace graduate, you have to travel overseas if you want to be part of the next generation of Bollynauts – better learn the basics first: How does the launch angle of a projectile (or rocket?) affect how far it travels?
11. SAVE The planet
The planet’s fertile agricultural land is rapidly decreasing due to increasing salinity (saltiness) of soil, which often occurs when trees are cut down and the ground water rises bringing salt with it. You are an agrobiologist who needs to find answers to the world’s need to grow food crops. How does salt concentration affect the germination of seeds?
*NOTE: For this topic it is vital that you use salt solution concentrations of 3% or less to research which concentrations of salt in water will begin to affect the growth of plants.
12. Parachute drop
The Navy has spent most of the defence budget buying more submarines. This means cutbacks in other areas for the defence forces. Special Air Services troops have been asked to consider using cheaper parachutes which have less fabric area. As a fluid dynamics engineer you have been asked to investigate: How does the surface area of a parachute affect the speed at which it falls to Earth?
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